An interesting listen if you have a spare 30 minutes: https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2020/10/0...pt/content.html

 

By last week, more than 13 million Britons had signed up to the new app. But contact tracing was still not working properly – with many reports of the same people being contacted more than 30 times…or not at all.

 

One of the key players in the story who spoke to the Prime Minister in the past few days described him like this: ‘I think he is lonely and a bit downhearted. He knows that the system doesn’t really work but can’t quite say so. It’s less than ten months since he won a historic election victory and now he is already being treated as a failure and a has-been’.

 

It’s the kind of justice of the gods that a classicist like Johnson should understand.

 

Who was guilty? Everyone. Boris, Johnson, Matt Hancock, Chris Whitty, Dido Harding, Deloitte, and the Whitehall officials who clung on to power and data as if it truly belonged to them.

 

In this story, all the suspects are guilty. It is not Corona-Cluedo – Colonel Hancock, in the office, with the rubbish app – but Murder on the Orient Express.

 

And now we are heading into winter, with 7,000 new cases a day, the annual outbreak of flu compounding the threat to the vulnerable, woefully unready for what is coming.

 

And the outrageous fact is that – this time – we could have been so much better-prepared. Posterity will not be kind to all the culprits.

There's masks in China, but there are also temperature scanners, enforced scan at any public entrance (with high temperatures turned away), and you have to have a QR code (localised to your city) that is normally green but will go red and deny you access to anywhere if you come into contact with a case, and fines at the very least if you are found positive and don't report it. There's a lot they're doing that the British government is not, and they're not even on high alert anymore.

 

They aren't restricting many activities now, but they act quickly whenever an official case is reported (can't speak for its current spread but no one knows that, I just know I've seen no sign of it). I have heard anecdotes about the odd nightmare quarantine for inbound travellers but for the most part they've got the virus under control and that's through never ever letting up on it, using all of the technology and prevention available to them and having a population willing to be compliant.

 

I just spent a few days in Italy and was suprised by how different it was to the UK — the airport process, the temperature scanners and enforced scans at supermarkets and shops. Italy obvioiusly struggled massively at the beginning, but it's been impressive to see how much they've turned it around and kept the numbers lower than most of Europe.

 

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People travelling from the UK to Italy now require a negative test upon entry — which can be done at select airports for free. You could potentially get a test quicker (and cheaper than private) by just booking a cheap return flight to Milan than in the UK. Ridiculous.

 

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Edited October 9, 20204 yr by blacksquare

While I think education is important I absolutely think health comes first. You only get one shot at that whereas education can be resat or caught up on.

 

If I'm honest I get worried seeing the attitude otherwise, from people working in healthcare too. The first thing we learnt in first aid was to assure your own safety first as if you go everyone loses their asset.

 

I guess. But all I’m constantly hearing is how teachers ‘let down’ students over lockdown and how schools are a magical place where the virus just does not transmit and that the mental health of the children is at risk. I barely get a moment to think about myself, the government have decided that it’s worth our sacrifice.

I guess. But all I’m constantly hearing is how teachers ‘let down’ students over lockdown and how schools are a magical place where the virus just does not transmit and that the mental health of the children is at risk. I barely get a moment to think about myself, the government have decided that it’s worth our sacrifice.

How did teachers let students down? Closing schools wasn't their decision. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have taken long for teachers to be blamed again :(

How did teachers let students down? Closing schools wasn't their decision. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have taken long for teachers to be blamed again :(

 

It’s just the way it always is. There’s a vocal minority in the country that will blame teachers and other school staff for everything and completely ignore the fact that we often prioritise our jobs over ourselves.

 

 

It’s just the way it always is. There’s a vocal minority in the country that will blame teachers and other school staff for everything and completely ignore the fact that we often prioritise our jobs over ourselves.

Even when I was at school, I got frustrated when teachers got so much criticism. In the 40+ years since then, I think the general quality of teachers has improved significantly so this constant carping annoys me even more.

The Tier 3 restrictions look grim. The North is basically rebelling against the Government. And to be honest I can see why, I honestly do not believe these measures will have much effect at all and will do more harm than good in the long term.

 

The damage was done when Universities went back.

 

But mdh would rather be here than in Germany. :lol:

The Tier 3 restrictions look grim. The North is basically rebelling against the Government. And to be honest I can see why, I honestly do not believe these measures will have much effect at all and will do more harm than good in the long term.

 

Agreed, the additional restrictions will do barely anything.

The Tier 3 restrictions are basically what's already active in Scotland, no?

The Tier 3 restrictions are basically what's already active in Scotland, no?

 

I think so.

 

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Liverpool looks likely to be first in line for Tier 3.

The Tier 3 restrictions are basically what's already active in Scotland, no?

 

No, I think they will completely shut pubs (although resturaunts which allow food will be allowed, which seems daft as Spoons can get around it). And possibly all leisure facilities too. It's a joke and is going to decimate the North.

 

But I don't think it will have any effect. You've got to solve the problem with young people collectively, be it students or young professionals. Quite simply, it was negligence to encourage people back to shared accommodation.

Aren't they also putting a ban of travelling in and out of the affected areas? That's pretty much the ONLY new restriction that I agree with!

 

I think most pubs serve food too now so don't think they will make much difference really. Seems utterly stupid and will force smaller bars which are unable to do so to close completely.

Seems to be the major difference that the Scottish gov has been able to scrounge cash to compensate for the loss of trade because they have more fiscal leavers available to them than a council. Without the cash that the Liverpool city region have apparently asked for AND BEEN DENIED. Then this tier 3 is gonna drive a lot of viable businesses into permanent closure

And this 3 tier system that's supposed to make things easier to understand does anything but that.

Liverpool going into full lockdown, which affects my brother.

Good to see Manchester has avoided it at the last minute pretty much but I do really feel for people in Liverpool :( That can't be easy.

The only good thing about the detail from what I can see is that the tiered restrictions take in to effect not only the infection rate, but also the hospital capacity & admissions. Which is the right thing if you have students catching covid purposely but not passing it on to the wider community.

Sky News saying there are Covid fears for the Pope, 83, tonight, after 5 members of his close protection service, the Swiss Guard, tested positive.

He's only got one lung, so hopefully he hasn't caught it.